Like a good opera, Italian cars are distinguished by passion, triumph and tragedy in equal measure,
and it’s not unheard of for fans to end a journey in tears – sometimes tears of
joy, sometimes not.
Italians are also fiercely proud of their independence and proud to be that bit different
to the rest of Europe, and it’s with a similar feeling of standing out that Alfa Romeo presents
the Giulietta as an alternative to the usual family hatch suspects.
But is it a triumph or a tragedy?
Let’s take a look below its gorgeous exterior to find out.
Drop down into the Giulietta’s cabin and there’s what feels like a slightly weird
juxtaposition of the old and the new.
So I mean, there’s all this carbon fibre trimming and brushed chrome bits, but then
some of the plastics feel undeniably cheap and the steering wheel looks like it could
be from an Alfa made 10 years ago.
It’s full of all these weird little ergonomic quirks too.
It’s a bit cramped in places, particularly in the footwell where the pedals are all different
heights and feel too close together, while you’ve also got this USB and AUX in for
your mobile device…
And then nowhere to rest it…
That’s the bad stuff out of the way anyhow and for all its oddities there’s still no
denying that this cabin looks and feels just that bit more special than anything you’d
get from Ford or Volkswagen.
Equipment levels are fairly high too, with standard features like LED lights and cruise
control.
As part of a mild facelift earlier this year, which brought with it the new honeycombed
grille, the car also got this new Uconnect infotainment system which features neat tricks
like music streaming, social media integration and sat-nav.
Anyway, come round the side here – got to say I’ve always been a sucker for recessed
door handles – and we’ll climb in the back.
Whew.
Technically, although the Giulietta aims to rival cars like the Focus and Astra, it’s
got more in common with the likes of the A-Class or A3, which sacrifice space for a slinky
profile.
The rear seats here are unbelievably cramped, and there’s not much by way of headroom
either.
If you’ve got short friends then yeah you might get away with fitting five in here,
but even kids probably won’t thank you for the lift.
With 350 litres of boot space with the rear seats up and 1,045 with them down it’s a
bit more practical than a Focus but lags behind cars like the Golf.
Note the space saver wheel which is a plus though, and an increasing rarity in cars these
days.
Now, as most car guys will tell you, you can’t be a genuine petrolhead until you’ve owned
an Alfa Romeo.
The reason for that?
Well, away from their faults, classic Alfas are generally known for two things: looking
gorgeous, and driving brilliantly.
Will the Giulietta hold up as one of the must-have drivers’ Alfas?
Maybe not, but compared to pretty much every other hatch in its segment, there isn’t
really a rubbish version to drive.
Even the entry-level 1.6-litre diesel engine, which we’ve got here, has a decent turn
of pace despite having a relatively meagre 118bhp. 0-62mph takes a fairly average 10
seconds, but
more noteworthy is the way it handles.
Stick it into Sport mode with the selector and this thing corners and grips almost like
a hot hatch.
Body control is remarkable and it also knocks up the throttle response that bit more so
you get the full force of 320Nm torque as soon as you put your foot down.
It’s certainly livelier than nearly any other hatch of its kind, but it performs well
compared to pretty much any other standard hatchback in all areas: town, country and
motorway.
For urban driving though, either normal or comfort mode is preferable as the heavy steering
and sharp throttle response of sport makes it a bit of a pain in traffic.
Personally, I actually find normal mode is better than comfort unless Sport is called
for, as comfort relaxes the dampers to the point that the car can feel bouncy over bumps.
There’s no longer a Quadrifoglio Verde version unfortunately, but you can opt for the 240
horsepower Veloce model if you want more thrills.
By comparison, this diesel appears tame with exactly half the output, but the upshot is
it’s returned an average of Xmpg while I’ve had it this week.
Running costs are competitive then, but the Giulietta is a bit pricier than its rivals
in terms of price, with the entry-level model starting from £18,700.
This Super trim we have is £21,150, while the Veloce model is nearly £29,000 – dangerously
close to the likes of the Golf R and Focus RS which are both a class above it.
Now, here’s an important one: reliability.
We all know the scare stories about Alfas, like the 164 which could disintegrate before
your very eyes, but what of the Giulietta?
Get ready to suck your teeth in now: well, the Giulietta actually holds up really well
according to reliability surveys, scoring an average of 88.35% on the Auto Express Driver
Power satisfaction survey.
Italian cars are generally known for three things: grace, pace and the occasional hair-tearing
quirk that almost drives you to scrap the thing before you look at it and realise that,
despite its flaws, there’s just that certain ‘non so che’ you can’t help but love.
In that respect, the Giulietta definitely has the latter in parts, and perhaps not enough
of the first two to make it a really great car.
As a family hatch there are some ways that it’s deeply flawed, but all the same I can’t
help feeling that ‘non so che’, that Italian flair, is still there all the same…
But how do you feel about the Alfa Romeo Giulietta?
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